2013 was a good year for The Mikveh Lady Has Left the Building. We published 99 new posts, and you (the collective “you”) viewed them nearly 31,000 times.

The content was extraordinary, and varied. We’ve categorized it by topic – just take a look on the righthand side of your screen to read what interests you most.

I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite guest posts, with gratitude to everyone who shared their stories with us all. Each of them are worth a read… or even a re-read, if you did catch them the first time around. Here they are:

The Water Makes Us Malleable: My Bridal Mikveh, by Britni de la Cretaz. I love the honesty of this piece, how Britni – with all her piercings and tattoos – tells us that she cried thinking about how her unadorned body is beautiful the way it was made.

Finally, Finally Jewish, by Maya Bery. Maya takes us through the detail of her immersion, along with how she felt each step of the way. She waited for fourteen years to become a Jew, and it’s like we all got to be right there with her as it happened.

Why I Want a Mikveh – the Next Generation, by Emilia Diamant. Emilia found a way to put into words just the way I have felt about Mayyim Hayyim for so long, without being able to articulate it. She calls Mayyim Hayyim a radical feminist creation – political, even. And no, she explains: this does not just mean it’s only about women.

Safe, Seen, and Sanctified, by Ari Lev Fornari. Give me a story about a transgender, genderqueer person feeling comfortable in the space I lead, and I’m a happy mikveh lady. And this post is particularly articulate.

Goodbye, Anonymous. Immersing as part of her healing process following the death of her husband, this post reminds me that one never knows when the mikveh might serve as a comfort. Be prepared for some real emotion with this one.

Want to make sure you don’t miss a post? Follow our blog by entering your email address in the text box at the top right of this screen, and they’ll be delivered right to your inbox as soon as they’re published.